Biblo Tøyen, Deichmanske Bibliotek

Is it a ski center? A scene from Disney's Finding Nemo? A small amusement park or maybe a car park? Biblo Tøyen is not easy to define, but one thing is for sure - it's tempting to stay awhile in this weird, soft, fun universe.

The new children’s library at Tøyen in Oslo, “Biblo Tøyen”, is only open to children and youngsters between the ages of 10 and 15 – unfortunately. The rest of us will miss out on this unique place, where you can meet, hang out, relax, surf, make stuff, read, cook, learn and, yes, borrow books – it houses the largest collection of young readers’ literature in the country, in ­move­able shelves.
Helle Benedicte Berg talked to Dutch designer Aat Vos and project initiator Reinert Mithassel from Deichmanske Bibliotek. They wanted to make a “third space” in this inner city location, a safe and free place for youngsters to meet and hang out. The result is this cornucopia of possibilities, housed in a rich playground of re-used materials and repurposed objects.